Today I am writing a blog that is definitely meant for young people who have turned 30, seniors might be able to relate to this article as after reading they will realize that they have gone through and faced the situations mentioned in this article, if not they can advise their younger ones about what is written here.
Turning 30 can be intimidating and frightening to some people, as it’s a major milestone that marks the gateway to one’s middle years. In addition to the anxiety that some people experience when turning 30, society has programmed many to believe that they need to have achieved X number of things by this age. By this age, many feel that they are expected to be married/partnered, have started a family, or be firmly settled in careers.
Here are a few errors that many make once they turn 30:
1 Assuming that their career is not solid yet, it never will be
Films and TV serials show people are happily established in their careers relatively early in life, but please keep in mind that they all are fiction. If you go by history, even 50/75 years back most successful people did not really get started until their mid-30s or early 40s. The reason this happens s that we really do not figure ourselves out until we are in our 30s. What we like in our younger days, might change drastically as we age-as we develop a stronger sense of self, and realize what it is we really want to do with the remaining time of life. If by the time you are 30+, you hate what you are doing and would rather be doing something else, make it happen. You will be happier, and success will come a lot more quickly and easily than it w ever will be slogging through the job you hate.
2 Thinking they will be single forever-all the good ones are taken
Much like career path issues, many people believe that if they have not met their true love/life partner by the time they are 30, they will be single forever. A lot of people pair up in their teens or 20s, and cling desperately to a person they get along with “well enough” because they are afraid that they will never find another one, and they do not want to be alone, for the rest of their life. Is that really a reason to stay with someone? Whereas the fact is most people are really beginning to be confident and happy in their skins by their 30th birthday..and relationships that worked when people were 21 may fall apart when they are 31 because both parties have changed. Any number of situations can change, and usually will. Please remember there are millions of people on this planet, with whom you can connect on amazing, authentic levels, even after you are 30 +.
3 Believing they can not start over
Whether it is a career they despise, a relationship that has stopped working, or even a city that is smothering them, they feel that they have now passed the point at which they are allowed to make new choices in life and just have to stick with what they have got for the rest of their lives. This is utter nonsense. Every single day gives you the ability to start over again. At any point in time, you can change direction toward a life that would make you feel happier and more fulfilled, and it is never too late to do so.
4 Being unforgiving and critical about their bodies
It is generally believed once we hit 30 that our youthful appearance starts to fade a little bit. Stress, exposure to sun and wind, and just regular wear and tear show on our bodies, much to many people’s dismay. In fact, eating disorders are just as common among people in their 30s and 40s as in teenagers. As bodies start to show age, people ramp up their attempts to keep looking as young and fit as possible. Some even opt for treatments like plastic surgery or Botox to try to reverse these obvious signs of aging.. but these signs are just going to reassert themselves again.
Those lines around your eyes, it takes a thousand repeated movements for a line to be truly established in one’s skin. Stretch marks from pregnancy are well-earned signs of motherhood. You are so much more than the sum of your appearance, and you are more beautiful with every passing day. So please be kind to yourself, as you would be to a vulnerable child in your care.
In the end, no two people are alike, and the journeys we take through our lives are unique as we are. You can not compare yourself to another person, as they are on a completely different path than you are. You have your own life journey to experience, so embrace it and embody it fully, secure in the knowledge that you are being true to yourself.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
15th March 23